Whole Wheat Walnut Bread Recipe

by katerina on October 6, 2008

This is a crappy picture because I left my camera at home this weekend so I had to use my iPhone, but this bread is so good I simply had to post about it anyways. Simply put this is the best loaf of bread I have ever made, In fact that was the first thing J said when he bit in. Even more exciting is that this was a recipe I more or less put together myself. I used a Rose Levy Berenbaum basic recipe to more or a less get the proportions of salt\water and flour and then modified a bunch of stuff. I will definitely make this again, I might try making it with sun dried tomatoes, pumpkins seeds or just more whole grains. The only thing I might change would be to try and make it without the sponge to see if it can taste as good without the extra step. I also might add a bit more oatmeal to make it a bit heartier. All and all though I highly recommend it, the outside was crunchy and the inside was tender. It even comes out with a hint of purple color because of the walnuts. Also with the whole wheat flour it is pretty healthy too.

Since I weighed all my ingredients I have also added cup measurements but that is approximated :).

Whisk together vigorously for about 2 minutes until it is foamy and bubbly. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for an hour if you have the time. Either way put in the fridge overnight. (This can probably be kept in the fridge for a few days.)

With a spatula or wooden spoon stir the sponge into the dry ingredients until well combined. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until it springs back and no longer sticky. About 6 minutes. Form into a ball. Place 1t of olive oil in a bowl and then the dough, Turn the ball of dough around in the bowl until it is all gently covered with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk.Hint: Use your oven as a proofer. Turn it on really high until the internal temp is about 100F, should take about 90 seconds. Then Turn It Off. Now you can rise your dough inside – it will only take about 45 minutes to double the dough this way. Just make absolutely sure you turn the oven off and it isn’t too hot, you don’t want to melt the plastic wrap.

Gently transfer the dough to a floured surface and press the excess air out. Roll it up like a jelly roll really pressing the air out and rolling tight as you go. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet seam side down. Slash with a knife a few times. Spray a few pieces of plastic wrap with cooking spray and cover the dough with the wrap. Let rise until doubled again.

Preheat the oven until 400F. Remove plastic wrap and bake for about 4o minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for at least 20-30 minutes for slicing.